Testimonies
by Chase Ling Ziao
Summary: Inspired by the song Demons by Imagine Dragons: Was it murder or self-defense? She was found holding the body and the weapon had her prints. Only the victim's blood and her own were found on the scene. Miles Edgeworth enlists the help of back-on-the-scene Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright to defend the closest thing he has to family: Franziska von Karma. (use of LangZiska). R&R welcome.
1. The High Prosecutor's Office

**DISCLAIMER: Capcom owns all these characters. I wrote the story. Thanks :)**

* * *

**Personal Testimony: Miles Edgeworth (confidante and legal relative of defendant)**

The hardest thing about their being together came every month.

…

It wasn't her lunatic mood swings, if you're asking. It's his lunacy.

…

Let me finish, Wright. You know I don't make things up.

The way I understood it from Franziska, every month, he'd go into these, erm, fits. The way he grew aggressive, feral and the most wolf-like he'll ever be. And the way he grew fangs, and claws and fur. The way he hungered for flesh in the literal sense, and the way it scared Franziska into desperation.

She thought she could brave the "novelty" of her dear soldier-dragon. Apparently, Lang warned her often when they started going out. "What's another quirk?" she said, "You are still the apple of my eye, no matter how hairy you might get." She told me she thought it was a joke at first but she soon found out the truth.

He soon gave up. He trusted Franziska and he knew her person. He trusted her fully but there was one thing he couldn't bring himself to tell her. It was the one shame he kept to the grave. No one knew until the very trial. And we have you to thank for that.

…

They were going out for a few years now. Franziska, surprisingly, lived with him. She must love him dearly to do as much. Last I heard, they were going to officiate it. She promised him that she would take care of him, like the perfect lover should. And yet, Franziska found herself getting more and more strained whenever he changes under the full moon.

The only thing I know of in full detail is the incident of her first witnessing the transformation and the beast she discovered. She told me she had to hide out on the roof until morning that night. Earlier that evening, Lang was pestering her to tie him up and lock him in the cellar. She was indignant that he would ask her of such a strange and demeaning request. As you could expect, she refused and she actually went to bed alone, telling him to go sleep on the couch until he decided to be sane again. She then awoke to the sound of howling downstairs. She saw that Lang wasn't by her side and immediately recalled he was still downstairs. Fearing for his safety, she tells me that she got out of bed and looked for him. She started to panic when she saw Lang's clothes ripped to shreds. But before she even began calling out his name, she found him. Rather, he found her. You can only imagine the state of shock she was in to come face to face with a humanoid-wolf creature.

She told me she was frozen in shock. The creature approached her rather menacingly. She slowly backed away, feeling the sweat trickle down her face. Honestly, I don't know anyone who could react calmly to such a supernatural encounter such as this. Then all of a sudden, she whipped the creature.

...

Oh? Well, she's always brought it everywhere. She's telling the truth about that, trust me. Last I saw Agent Lang, he had a bandage across his nose.

Now, where were we? Out of impulse, she whipped the creature. It gave out a pained and an extremely loud howl. It was enough to snap her out of her frozen stupor and send her running upstairs. Naturally the creature gave chase. That's how she wound up on the roof for the entire evening. She tells me that she fell asleep to the sound of howling, growling, and clawing at the attic entrance.

When morning came to and the sun went up, she saw Lang on the balcony. He was lying there, curled up and looking exhausted. His clothes were gone so the first thing Franziska did was to carry him inside the bedroom, away from any nosy neighbours' eyes.

She checked him thoroughly and saw that he had some blood around his mouth. He also had a few bruises and scratches all over but what struck Franziska the most was the red mark across Agent Lang's face. He came to in a bit and immediately buried himself in Franziska's lap. He held her tight and he was weeping. Slowly, Franziska pieced together what was going on.

…

This is what she told me. I know. It's hard to imagine but give the guy some slack. It was a traumatic night for both of them, I assume. Franziska asked him to verify what was really going on and Lang just said, "I told you so." and subsequently passed out.

It was a shock for her, really. I had to go through the brunt of the hysterics and the displaced whipping. After a few weeks, she got over it and faced it like herself, the wild mare that she is. However, every month, she tells me she's had to lock him up and chain him. She felt extremely foolish to do such a precaution but Lang convinced her otherwise. It was necessary, after all. It was for her sake, not just his.

...

Personally, I didn't notice much change in Franziska over the past few months. Perhaps she was looking more tired than usual, or even less energetic about whipping us and her subordinates at the prosecutor's office. As for Agent Lang, well, you know his type. Never one to lose face, that man. I understand he has profound trust in his subordinates and in other people he works with but this was a surprisingly personal matter when I first found out about it. Heck, I thought Franziska was joking as well. When I figured Franziska was with a lack of any such imagination herself, it dawned to me that it there had to be some truth in what she said.

I had my suspicions about his behaviour in the last few months as when I noticed Franziska was less energetic than her usual self. Even if it was probably because Franziska had told me long before, I might've noticed a couple of things but there was nothing identifiably different about him. He was still arrogant, boisterous and actively quoting his ancestor like on any usual day I encounter him.

…

I honestly never expected something like this to come up. Not if Franziska's involved. It surprised me when she called two days ago and she was stuttering. Would you believe that? Franziska! Stuttering! I immediately rushed to their house and saw the mess on their front porch. There was a pool of blood around them. Agent Lang was dead. A knife was sticking out of his stomach. Franziska was holding him close to her and she was weeping. She too was covered in blood, as if from a struggle.

You may already know the report they sent in. That only Franziska's blood and Lang's blood were found throughout the entire house. The state that it was in, they were certain there was a struggle of some sort. In the cellar, they found its door was crumpled a heap off to the side. Inside, cuffs and chains and some pieces of the wall were strewn about. They couldn't make heads or tails of it but it was as though someone was being restrained but managed to escape. They also found traces of Lang's blood on some of the broken cuffs.

Thanks to you, we now know it Franziska and Lang's attempts to solve the problem on their own.

…

*sigh* I'm sorry. That's all I can say with confidence. It would be best if you ask her for the full details. I mean, I may be her confidante but only really next to herself.

…

I'm sorry for not telling the whole story to you straightaway but I fear you may be misinformed if it came from me. I feel awful for Franziska. But understand this: only she can be strong for herself at this point on. I'm sure you understand.

...

But.. please…take it easy on her. She is still…family to me.

…

Find the truth, Wright. Good luck.


	2. At the Detention Center

**Defendant Testimony: Franziska von Karma**

It's hilarious that you and I are in such a situation. I seem to recall that you successfully defended my "little brother" in case not too unlike this, hmm?

…

I knew about the so-called "secret". He didn't have to tell me because I already figured it out. I have been living with him these past few years, after all. I was the first to notice the changes.

…

The changes that weren't normal already, at least. Honestly, Mr. Phoenix Wright, get with the program. You've defended me and yet you're as clueless as ever.

…

I'm sorry. I should be more agreeable, given my situation.

…

Thank you for defending me anyway, even if it's clear that I'm the culprit. I mean, congratulations on getting me off the murder charge but I still murdered him. Self-defense or not, I-I killed him…

…

It's alright. I cannot believe they allowed such a fool of a lawyer be the prosecutor at court today. Miles would've been a more formidable foe to match your wits and energy. Alas, he had to play witness.

…

Yes, I'm sorry for getting side-tracked. I … it is admittedly bothersome… to talk about it. Yes, yes. I know I must explain everything though but forgive me. I *choke* I'm having some…difficulty speaking when I try to remember it, when I remember him.

…

Shi-Long Lang…I mean, Agent Lang. We were very close. We grew *ahem* closer together in these couple of years.

…

You could say I found a part of myself I never knew existed until when we were together. It is foolhardy, I admit it, but it felt perfect. Simply perfect. And now it's just foolishly foolish sadness that I'm feeling. All this grief is absolutely foolish. How can typically sentimental foolish fools foolishly stand it for this long?

…

*cry* He told me-he told me he never wanted this to happen. He warned me it was going to get worse and it did but-but he wished and he wanted for the worst not to happen until much much later in our lives. In the end, it was inevitable. No matter what we did, it kept coming back every full moon.

I tried to tame it but where do you begin handling a werewolf? It seemed all my methods, logical and, dare I say it, "mystical" were of no avail. I even took his advice on how his ancestors managed their beasts. His transformed self was too much. The precaution we agreed on was *ulp* chaining him up and locking the cellar door. It hurt every time I had to do that. It felt unworthy of his person. He didn't deserve something like this. No one does.

…

I felt like I didn't deserve him.

…

...! I'm s-sorry. You are correct. It's not about whether we deserved each other. I was…afraid. I was very afraid. Every transformation, I could not get used to it. He would scream a painful scream. It melted into a howl later on but I could hear it. I could hear something ripping and it was loud and persistent. I gathered my courage to take a peek during one of those instances and I saw the most gruesome thing.

…

I saw that *sniff* I saw that his *sniff* his transformation needed his human shell be torn off to release the wolf within. I then understood the painful howls. I then understood the wild behaviour. I understood the aggression of every transformation. I-I wanted to soothe him of that but I was too afraid. All the methods I've tried to tame his werewolf form didn't do much. All it did was agitate him more. It was simply awful. All the foolishness I had to go through to learn about those so-called "cures" and "remedies." Nothing but baseless fairy tales!

There was nothing for Lang. Nothing…I had to put up with his transformations even if I wanted to so badly to help him.

…

When the evenings ended, he transformed back. Thrashing and howling during the night took a lot of his energy. By morning, he was very tired. His transformation back into a human was calmer, so I've witnessed. His hair recedes back into his skin. His body is covered in bruises and his muscles are battered. He would sleep for an entire day just to recover from the nights he transforms. I hated what those chains did to him, even if it was necessary. Keeping him locked up also prevented him from causing more "incidents" around the city.

…

The only time such an incident occurred was the first night he transformed.

That night he first transformed with me around, I noticed some blood around his mouth. He told me later that in his werewolf state, he could not help but go and hunt for wolf-type prey. It takes whatever mental capacity he has left in his wolf form to avoid preying on humans, including myself that first night. He could not, however, help himself when he saw smaller animals. Pigeons, seagulls, small dogs and cats, rabbits and farm animals have been victims in the past by some of his clan members. That night, however, only two households found their precious pooches were missing. I tended to his wounds and bruises but I went to see Miles Edgeworth to help me get my thoughts straight. I left him a note though, saying where I was and that I'd be back soon.

When I returned to our home later on – and you'll probably think me foolish for this – I stood as still as ice. I was in a daze because before me, I saw the usual arrogant smirk and his relaxed but piercing eyes looking right at me. It was almost like a dream, like last night never happened. I remember it well. He wore a bathrobe and pyjamas but my eyes suddenly found the dark ring around his neck and bruises all over his chest. At that point, I was unsure if I should faint or run to him. And just as suddenly, I found myself looking at the floor and then blacking out. He told me later that he caught me before I fell face-first into the pavement.

...

*blush* S-Stop it! Wipe that grin off your face! I-I told you it was foolish!

…

You're lucky this glass window is preventing my whip from reaching you. Not to mention that my whip is still confiscated for the time being.

…

Well, after that incident, that was when he and I began our attempts to control his beast. Of course, we could only try our methods every full moon. After about a year of trying and a total of 18 full moons to work with, we decided the best way was precaution.

…

It didn't do anything to help his transformations though. The howls of pain were still there. The ripping of flesh was still there. Everything gruesome about transforming was still there. We considered once to let him loose into the Los Angeles mountain area but I feared that it might take longer for me to find him afterwards. We considered moving to some cabin near there but I wasn't about to give up my career as a prosecutor in the city. Not to mention, it would sorely affect his career as an Interpol agent as well if we were to settle down somewhere remote.

…

Oh? Well, every month, he returns to Zheng Fa specifically for that purpose. He has requested that every month, he be allowed three consecutive days off. It was less than what most agents and officials have in their contracts as vacation time but Lang lives for his career, as do you and I.

…

I-I was afraid of him but I…cared about him. I feared him and feared for him. And you know what finally happened, correct? You know why I am here.

*sigh*

Recently, his transformations were becoming more serious. What usually took one day for him to recover recently took three days, and then four days, and then an entire week. On days of a predicted full moon, it began happening the moment the sun went down instead of when the moon was shining brightly in the middle of the sky. It was happening much faster as well. His howls of pain were more intense. It must've been more excruciating for it to happen so quickly. On that last day -*croak*

…

Thank you for your concern but I know I must move on from this.

*sigh*

On that day, we had an argument. I told him that if I couldn't be there for him then at least I would be like him. He was quick to anger and told me that was the stupidest idea he's ever heard. I tried to talk him into letting me become like him as well, just so he wouldn't be alone in all of it. I was the perfect lover. I wanted to do so much more for him. I knew I could do so much more for him.

…

That night, the last night, is where I got this bandaged leg from. Obviously, you can't see it. Do you think I'm the type of woman going around showing my legs off to any Tom or Harry? Foolish questions from a foolishly foolish fool should merit a good strike from my leathery friend. Alas, we are separated at the moment so that comment I'll have to let slide, Mr. Phoenix Wright. Consider yourself lucky.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. *choke* I'm sorry. This-this… I still cannot get used to this. *deep breaths*

…

The argument, I suppose it was because of my feeling of helplessness on the matter of his transformations. I'm quite sure I started it. After a year of trying out various "cures", some years to endure knowing his pain, and then the increasingly longer recovery times, I suppose I got frustrated. The precautions didn't do anything to help his condition and I was going to go crazy having to watch him suffer every month. It was nearly time for bed when I began by saying how it must've been difficult to go through transformations every month. Then I led up to my argument by saying that it was probably better if I was just like him. He looked at me very strangely. I could tell there was an underlying hostility behind his expression. In retrospect, my suggestion did sound foolish, even for me. Despite that, I wholeheartedly made myself clear: I was ready to become a werewolf like he was. He got extremely angry and made an aggravated noise. He then asked why I'd even bother and he went on to say how I knew nothing. I also got frustrated and voiced out how selfish he was for keeping the illness to himself. I tried to appeal to him by stating why I had wanted to become wolf.

He wouldn't hear any of it. He brushed me off and just reminded me to lock the chains and lock the cellar door. Out of frustration, I felt a little selfish myself. I delayed a bit. I didn't answer his calls for me when he was downstairs, readying himself in the safe room.

…

You might think it was stupid of me but I had it all planned out. I knew how quickly I could lock him up but I waited at the last minute, just to show him that he needed me as much as I needed him.

Just before night fell, around 5:00pm, I finally went downstairs to lock him up. I found him already in the cellar room, right in position and placing the chains and cuffs on himself. He looked at me with a sorrowful expression but he just as quickly turned away and replaced it with a stone face. I couldn't help but feel worried for him as well. The time was drawing near, it was almost night fall. I used the keys to lock his cuffs and chains. As I was doing so, I attempted to apologize for my words. At first I thought it fell on deaf ears. He wasn't responding to me at the time. I held his face and made him turn to face me. I wanted to look into his eyes and get it straight that he didn't have to be alone in this.

Had I known it would be the last time I would hold his face like that, I'd have probably said something more endearing. I searched his eyes for what felt like an eternity. He looked at me as well but I couldn't read what he was thinking. He suddenly said, "I'm sorry." and then turned away from my gaze. I felt something wet touch the hand on his face. It made me well up a bit too. I wanted to tell him that he was important to me, that I wanted to be beside him for as long as I lived. As I opened my mouth, his entire body began shaking violently. His eyes shut tight and he was gritting his teeth. It was beginning and I was in a dangerous proximity to him. He mustered enough strength to tell me to leave immediately. I realized that I forgot to lock up the chain around his neck. I did my best to lock it up but I fumbled with the key and it got knocked out of my hand. He was thrashing wildly. The sound of ripping flesh, the sound of his pained grunts and wails filled the room. The familiar fear was taking a hold of me.

…

I tried to find the key but my tears and the panic were competing for my attention. I couldn't find it in time when I heard more of his flesh begin to rip apart, to be replaced by bristly fur. His eyes shot open and I saw bright yellow ones take their place for the last time. It pierced through me and held me in some sort of foolish stupor until he lunged at me and knocked me to the ground. Then everything snapped into place and I was suddenly aware of where I was: in front of a snarling werewolf with no form of protection. I scrambled to get out of the room and immediately locked the door behind me. I let go of the fact that I forgot to lock his head in place but it was risky to go back and fix that mistake. I just prayed the door was fortified enough in case he broke loose.

I calmed down a bit while I heard the thrashing and the howling persist. It felt like hours had passed and that thrashing and banging and howling continued. And then all at once it stopped. I thought it odd. I usually go ahead to our bedroom and stay there for the entire evening after locking up Lang but I peered through the small window to check up on him. I was met by those bright yellow eyes looking straight at me. It was then I realized that the wolf and I were separated only by the door I had just locked.

…

No, no. It's no problem. I-I- *cringe* I can do this, alright? *ahem*

…

I slowly backed up and ran straight for the bed room. The thrashing grew even louder until I was halfway up the stairs. I then heard the door break into a million splinters. I didn't turn around anymore. I kept on going up the stairs. I knew what I had to do. He and I planned it when it came to something like this but I never imagined that this emergency would ever come up.

I-I ran as fast as I could to our bedroom. It was there in the closet, he told me before. There he kept the important object that would stop Lang if ever he got too dangerous. I only saw it once before and saw it was an ornate wolf-head figurine with a dragon's head on the other side. Lang said it was made of a precious metal that would tame the beast permanently. This, he said, was a last resort, especially when he had gotten loose again or had attacked me. He said it was absolutely important that I use this to tame his beast when the need arise. I never got a good look at the object until that night.

It was also then that I learned what Lang really meant.

I quickly grabbed the box before the werewolf - *gulp*, before he – could reach me. With the box in my possession, I attempted to run towards the roof deck, to my hiding place all those years ago. But I found myself trapped. The wolf had caught up to me and I was practically trapped. Those hungry yellow eyes looked down on me from the shadowy figure of a towering were-wolf. It was even licking its lips and breathing heavily. He said I shouldn't show fear when the beast looked at me like that. He said I should be strong and keep one step ahead of the wolf's animal instincts. Remembering Lang gave me enough courage to try and escape the beast. I moved slowly, preparing myself for my escape. I waited until he pounced forward and then I dived under him and scrambled to get away.

...

Adrenaline was rushing through me. I felt that everything was so clear that instant. I even had time to try and slow down the wolf by closing the bedroom door and blocking the hallway I took by throwing down any furniture I passed by. I was not without any scratches, however. The wolf managed to tear a bit of my night wear and claw the back of my right thigh. Looking at how deep a wound it was, I'm amazed I managed to run away like I did. I climbed up to the roof and threw out the attic ladder from where I sat. That was when the adrenaline began to subside and the pain in my leg started to throb painfully.

…

It's alright. I can continue. I just needed to take a breather to collect my thoughts. There is no need to worry.

I tried to take my mind off the pain by inspecting the last resort I had. I fiddled a bit with it, figuring out how to possibly tame the beast that was after me.

…

Why? I believe the forensics team and the paramedics should answer your question. The only blood they found around our house was mine and his. Apparently when Lang lunged forward at me, I had gotten my head injured and was bleeding a bit. From what I've researched, once a werewolf tastes fresh blood, its target is locked and it will pursue its prey until the werewolf captures it. My bleeding thigh also left a trail for him to track me to the roof.

…

I discovered that the figurine concealed a blade. It was an ornately carved blade as well. Under the light of the moon, I couldn't really tell what the metal was but it was well-taken care of, seeing how it shined. After a deep breath, I realized what Lang meant. He was saying there was only one way out of this for both of us.

Truth be told, I was scared. I feared for what would happen to me, what would happen to him, and what would happen after it was done. I remember crying out in frustration. I remember feeling so helpless and weak. I thought long and hard about my choices. And then I found myself falling asleep to the sound of vicious scratching and growling.

…

I knew I was safe. He couldn't get up the roof the last time, so I knew it was no problem. I was awoken by the early rays of morning. Then I remembered that Lang may have returned to his human form. I peered down through the attic to see what became of him and what I saw killed me inside.

There was nothing else. There was nothing left. There was nothing I could do but that one thing.

*cry*

…

*breathes* I-I'm sorry. This is- this is- Oh! *sob*

…

I'm sure *sob* you know what happened next. I ki-ki-killed Lang.

After using the part of my night wear to bandage my thigh, I came down from the roof and onto the balcony. I stood there, waiting for the wolf to notice me. I readied my hand steady, aimed at his visceral region. As I suspected, he turned his attention to me rather quickly. He growled as he rushed toward me, bounding effortlessly. For a brief moment, I saw how beautiful his beast was, jumping out at me in the morning sun. And just as quickly, I killed the beast.

He loped toward me, teeth bared and aimed for my neck. For once, I was grateful to be of a petite stature. I met him head on and tackled him. I made sure the knife hilt was the only thing sticking out of the beast's visceral region. The rest of my strength went to holding onto his abdomen and attempting to counter his push.

As it turns out, he was more massive than I and so his momentum sent us both falling over the balcony. I held onto his midsection as tight as I could. His wolf body was searing hot but I held on anyway. I closed my eyes and let us fall. I heard the impact of our bodies as it met the ground. Soon enough, the furry sensation in my face from a while ago disappeared and I felt I was in contact with extremely warm skin. I opened my eyes and saw I was on top of a human Lang. I saw the last of the fur disappear like steam from his skin. I saw the knife stuck in his stomach. I then tried to see if he still responded. Nothing.

…

As if the knife in his stomach wasn't enough, he also broke my fall at his expense! I stayed there, crying for a while. I called up Miles and he rushed over. Then I went back to Lang's body. I cradled him, caressing his hair and his face. I placed my hand by his neck, holding him as tenderly as I could until he grew cold.

…

That fall, at least, I think it gave him an instantaneous death. So he and I – so that we wouldn't have to suffer for very long, but damn that arrogant oaf, still saving me after I literally stabbed him.

…

And that is what *sniff* happened. Of course, you figured it all out in court. Congratulations.

…

I was cleaned up and then brought here afterwards. They found my prints on the murder weapon and my blood mixed in with Lang's. I was fixed up and then taken into custody.

…

You don't have to say anything. I don't need your pity or your sympathy. That Miles had to call you in on my behalf already took a toll on my pride. Don't think that I could've told you everything so easily, okay? Miles sent you. And that's how I knew I could take my chances with you.

…

Wright, one more thing.

…

Um…th-thank you…for revealing the truth.

…

Don't go expecting a anything from me. Even with these walls and glass in front of me, any affection I show requires the use of my whip.

…

…...

…

The moment I am released, I will settle those accounts. You'll be sure to hear about from Scruffy or Ms. Skye.


	3. Channeling Chamber, Kurain Village

**Victim Testimony: Shi-Long Lang (channelled by Maya Fey)**

…! Who the hell are you? And why can I see again? Where am I?

…

So _you're_ Phoenix Wright. It's a pity we didn't meet when I was alive. I've heard stories. Oh, those stories sis tells. *snickers* Funny, I pictured you less normal-looking, from what she's said, at least. Hold on…

…

…...

…

…why..?

…

…! Aiyaaaah! What-what's going on?! Mr. Wright, right? Tell me RIGHT NOW! I DEMAND to know what the heck is going on!

…

WHAAAAAAT?! I'M BEING WHAT?! BY WHOOOO?!

…

…...

…-!

Not so fast! Woah there! Rewind. I did NOT asked to be channelled or whatever.

…

...…Fine. Mind telling me what I'm here for?

…

Yes, well, you said there was a reason. I'm not that unreasonable for a dead guy.

…

Yeah, whatever. What are these papers for?

…

…For…... I see. Well, sure. I'll sign them.

…

Well, if you don't mind, I've appropriated some things in the papers. At least the house should belong to the Lang family. I'll let sis take the furniture or… whatever was left from that incident, heh.

Tell me, how many days has it been? Being dead screws up your sense of time, I can personally attest to that.

…

That long, huh.

…

...…...

...

Tell me, how is sis? Er, I meant Ms. Von Karma… sorry.

…

Right, right. You hardly know a thing about me, heh heh heh. First thing's first: the name's Shi-Long Lang.

It's funny how we meet for the first time and it's like this, don't you think? In my country, even I didn't think this was possible. My cousins insist that some relatives of ours do channel spirits but I wasn't too convinced. Then again, I never thought I'd be one being channelled. *snicker*

...

I met sis about some years ago. Your friend, Mr. Edgeworth, should've told you as much. She helped out with a huge case concerning the Interpol. I'm sorry to say that even though I'm permanently retired, I am sworn to my word as an agent to withhold any information from individuals not involved in the case. Besides, it was already case closed, okay?

…

I call Franziska "sis", well, it's because I trust her like I would a real sister. I made her part of my pack, you see? And whoever I consider part of my pack, I trust them wholeheartedly and they trust me. Well, at first Interpol assigned a prosecutor of renown to aid in that particular case. They said we needed someone who was familiar with multiple systems of law and governance in order for us to strike swiftly and surely when we found what we were looking for. I suppose you could say at first, I had no choice? Heh heh heh. She earned my trust over time. Why do you think I was able to catch her whip in mid-air?

…

I see she hasn't told anyone about that, ha ha! I didn't expect any less from sis. I'm sure you'll keep this to yourself, seeing as you're the type of person who doesn't prefer a meal of leather.

And she definitely means more to me than just that. Not that it's really your business to know the finer details of our relationship. But if you must know, we were going to tie the knot a few months from now.

…

Ah, yeah. I figured you'd do your homework. Did Detective Gumshoe help you out? Heh heh. You'll have to forgive that mishap with my ex-secretary. I hand-pick my subordinates and I will admit to negligence in quadruple-checking her background information. I really do take pride in my work so I'll admit to having a lapse of judgement because of the urgency and alarming importance of that case.

… Should I have said, "took" pride in my work? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

…

Listen, as much as I appreciate you calling me back here to ask about the details, I don't think there is any more I can tell you that you don't already know.

…

There was… no other way around it. Even from when Lang Zi was a mere pup himself, the name Lang was associated with a very unique "inheritance." As you can see, it's yet again caused insurmountable grief to the people I'm closest to.

…

For the sake of clarity, I suppose you do need to know the root behind all of it. Here it is.

It all began with our first ancestor, Lang Fai. Stories told to me by my nai nai and her nai nai's nai nai all say the same thing. He made a deal with a wolf. At the time, there was a war going on and food was scarce. The soil was too cold and hard without the young men to till it. Fai, before he was given the name Lang, had to leave farming behind and provide for his family by hunting. It went downhill quite fast.

He was down on his luck trying to survive a hunting trip in a nearby forest. In his lapse of judgement, he wound up stealing a freshly-killed prey of a wolf pack. He ran away and attempted to find refuge from the animals who were already sounding out their territory with their howls. Even worse luck befell him when he came face-to-face with the alpha male of the pack. It is said that back in the day, man and animal could understand each other. He struck a bargain with the alpha wolf where in exchange for the skills of the wolf in hunting and knowledge of the ways of the forest, the sons of Lang were now destined to become part of the pack. Do you understand what that implied? That deal meant not as humans but as wolves.

Sure, Fai became known as a hunter without equal. He was even named Lang by his people, for such keenness as a wolf when he hunted. He was able to provide for his family and neighbors through that famine and many more to come but every night with a full moon, the alpha wolf howled, calling him and his family to join their hunt. Not one neighbour ever witnessed the transformations first hand but it was recorded in Zheng Fa history that on nights with a full moon, a single howl turned into several howls that were in close proximity to that village.

Every generation after Lang Fai had individuals with the same gifts and the same secret. This was how the name Lang was forever tied to he and his kin. Yet, only the Lang family knew how much deeper it went.

…

Ha ha ha! You don't have to believe me. Trust me, I didn't either at first but there you have it. For the record, I did warn you about it being something of a legend. I've been living with this "destiny" for over 35 years to just a few days ago.

…

I first began transforming the moment I hit puberty. I don't know all the nitty gritty but I found I could easily memorize a mountainous terrain and survival training class felt like second nature. The only set-back is that I had to be kept in isolation every month or else let loose in the bit of forest behind our home back in Zheng Fa. All of us in the House of Lang felt the most at home in nature. It was no surprise why majority of us cousins and uncles chose to enter military service. Oddly enough, this inheritance was only evidnet to the men of my clan. It seemed the myth was very literal when it said "sons."

…

Yes. It would've been impossible for sis to become like me. She's not of the Lang blood and neither is she male. And so this "curse" can't affect her in any way.

…

Grr…there's that of course. You do understand I never meant to hurt her.

…

...….Tch. It's times like these when I'm afraid that even my incredible sense of discipline fails to overcome raw animal instinct.

I'm not proud of what I am, of what I did to her. It wasn't like I had a choice on the matter, though. No, my death was an inevitable end to this.

…

Don't ever say thaaaaaaat! Do not begin to imply what you have no idea of, Mr. Wright. I may have brought her close to harm a few times but don't you dare think that I was just using her.

I could handle my beast on my own. My trips back to Zheng Fa every month were proof of that, yes? But when she and I met, when she and I grew closer, it wasn't just about me anymore.

Besides, sis wanted to be the perfect lover, right? I couldn't leave her out of anything, even if I tried, ha ha! I let her in on my secret. I let her into my life and she did her best to accept me for what I am. That is more than I've let any of my pack come to know. From that point on, I decided that I wanted to escape. I wanted out of this accursed "destiny" because it was making things very difficult. Not just for me but for her as well. And…

…

And she couldn't find out about what will happen to me eventually. I'm sure she noticed it though. My transformations were coming sooner and taking a lot more out of me. I don't know if she figured out that I was eventually going to stay as a wolf by the time I officially matured as a human. Or so nai nai, says.

…

When I was with her. That's when I matured, I suppose. For sure, that's when I felt the most content in my entire life, when I felt the most complete.

…

I suppose if I hadn't met sis, I'd have been a wolf let loose in Zheng Fa. I'd retire my illustrious career after 30-35 years in service, maybe? I'd already helped rebuild my family's reputation and I was living a content life as it was. This so-called "destiny" of mine simply transfers one individual from the human population to the wolf population. For what purpose? To fulfil a promise made so many generations ago that it's almost like a legend? I think I would've done just fine on my own without these wolf instincts business.

Or…without it, maybe I would've never met Franziska. Yes, because I met sis, I began to think my fate was actually quite cruel.

…

Heh heh heh… I know what you're thinking, Mr. Wright. This kind of thinking gets anyone nowhere. Well, I don't need your preaching. Lang Zi says: "Mark your path to show and know where you've been." I've thought about it for a long time since meeting sis. While it's not something I can easily escape, I realized didn't have to spend so long living with it.

…

I'll admit it was tiring having to fight it all the time, Mr. Wright. Every month since that night, I had to be chained to a fortified wall in a fortified room with heavy-duty chains and cuffs to restrain my arms, legs, upper body and my head. I even had to wear a muzzle. But I did all of this for her.

I could tell sis was extremely worried. In turn, I grew concerned for her worry for me. I mean, we both decided it was for the best and I have experienced isolation during my transformations before but the way she said it pained me. The cuffs and the chains always gave me deep bruises. Thrashing about and the transformation itself strained my muscles and my bones. I didn't have to understand how that happened. I know it did because I felt it. But sis, *sigh* I don't know if she failed to take it as a fact or if she was really bothered that it had to happen so often.

Sis would always tell me off for doing my work out routine the day after I recover from the transformation, ha ha! I didn't have the heart to tell her that it helped me take my mind off the aching my entire body felt the day after. You know I usually take a whole day's rest, correct? That's actually just the minimum.

After I transform back to a human I'm just so tired that I can't help falling asleep. I stay that way for at least a day, unable to do a thing. When I was younger, it took longer. And, well, since the curse was nearing its fulfilment recently, the beast is spending more time manifested in my body. Now too, it was taking longer for me to recover. It was only a matter of time.

The end result does not change: I was destined to become wolf. It's in my blood. It's in my history. Lang Zi says: "A wolf is a wolf because of three things: its self, its upbringing, and its parents." But because of Franziska, for the first time I thought I could change it.

…

Yes. It was my idea, really. After the night I first transformed with her around, a spark ignited in me. It pushed me to finding all the possible ways of curing this damnation. Of course, I wanted to hear it from her first. It assured me that I wasn't alone in all this. All our efforts proved fruitless though. My fate could not be changed and sis, that awesome woman that she is, chose to endure it.

It was very brave of her. And I was moved to tears by how much she would do for me. At the same time I felt guilty for having to rely on her support just so I could also continue living. Not many people know this but I already contemplated how I would die on my own.

…

Tch. I decided if I was going to die, I'd die as Shi-Long Lang, the Interpol who brought back honor to the name of Lang, not some nameless wild animal.

…

Yeah, I thought that at first too. She and her driving need to be perfect, heh heh, but I don't ponder about the rhyme and reason. I simply trusted her, that she was doing this for my sake and her own. We both had a lot to lose. I guess this is one of those facets of love your vampire story authors keep talking about?

…

My nai nai was long gone and my father hospitalized by the time I started to work with Interpol. I can assume they've already let him lose in the forest by now. My mother knew only little, only what nai nai has told her. In a place like Zheng Fa it was hard finding any sort of expert on the matter. We had to research on our own lest the secret got out and either of us might lose our careers for being mentally unsound, ha ha!

…

Parapsychology? Occult studies? In a college?! My, my, America is a weird country, ha ha ha ha! No offense, Mr. Wright.

…

Ah, about that. That "last resort" bit, that was all me too. My mother gave it to me before I set off to work with Interpol. She told me it was made with the same material as our oldest heirloom daggers and that I'd definitely need it. Pretty thing, it was. Not anyone would realize it was a very important wedding gift tradition in the House of Lang. Neat story about it is the wives of the Lang men were entrusted with this type of gift by their mothers-in-law. She told me to give it to the person I would come to trust the most.

…

I inspected it, of course. I saw it was a hand-sized blade. My mother always kept hers about her personage. At first I thought that I was destined to be killed by this beautiful weapon by the person I trusted the most. Then I mulled over it a bit more. I had to give this to the person I trusted the most because they would know everything about me. Whoever I gave this to has the heaviest burden of all: to stop me, to stop my beast when I couldn't anymore. I would trust the end of my life to that person, in exchange for a horrific potentially life-traumatizing experience for them. It's a sweet but twisted fate, isn't it?

More so, I had to choose whether to endure those transformations any more as opposed to just dying at some fixed point in time after so and so years of working by handing the knife over to any of my subordinates. Heh, sis made choosing all the more difficult. I knew I was going to die by that knife or die as a wolf but it wasn't so easy choosing as to when anymore.

…

I'm not exactly certain. Perhaps it was out of self-defense? Recall that I have no distinction between human prey and animal prey when the wolf takes over. Perhaps many Lang wives had taken precaution themselves. Besides, I'd consider it a possibility that one's wife would feel the responsibility of keeping others away from the truth and the danger that is her husband-turned-beast.

I trusted that she would.

…

Ah yes, that night. You're asking what I remember? Well, the argument she and I had for one, ha ha ha ha! I ended up apologizing to her. I thought it fitting at the time since I knew that any day, I was going to have a permanent pair of furry boxers.

To be honest, that wasn't our first argument over the matter of sis wanting to turn into a wolf herself. I just always politely shot her down every time she brought it up. I usually avoided her question but that day was different. She fought back! I guess I was caught unaware. I got mad pretty fast and snapped at her. I thought she understood that I didn't want to talk about it.

…

I don't remember much when the beast takes over my body. Let's see…

…

I'm getting flashes of certain things. Uhh, right before the beast completely took over, I remember seeing sis fall backward. And then I remember smelling her blood. There's also broken furniture in front of me. And then I see the entrance to the attic. And….!

…

I-it's sis! I'm remembering seeing sis!

…

I-I see her, standing at the end of a corridor. And…and I think she's coming closer to me? No wait! I'm running toward her! And then…!

…

And then my vision becomes really clear. I can't move my limbs but I feel a pain but also a familiar warmth around my midsection. And then I remember seeing the ground, it's coming closer and closer. I think I took a quick glance down and I think I see..sis…around me…and then everything went black.

…

…...So that's what happened, she said? No wonder I saw black again right after. Heh heh,

…

Death is a funny thing, Mr. Wright. I remember hitting my head against something quite hard. I think I even heard the breaking of my neck. My consciousness, it sort of stayed asleep? I knew at one point, I wanted to open my eyes and found that I couldn't. All I saw was a sort of black void but I knew could see beyond a horizon of sorts. Idunno. I can probably compare it to seeing through closed eyes. Look, it's all very strange. I can't give you a good description. I'm not as poetic as Mr. Edgeworth, ha ha!

After a while, just being consciousness, I realized I was dead. I mean, it felt like I was in a permanent dream. Then I just stopped forcing my eyes open. From there, I occasionally see scenes. Not sure if they were memories or glimpses of the world I left behind or whatever.

…

Well, I do remember seeing sis being taken away by a stretcher. I also remember Mr. Edgeworth talking to the coroner. There was also that detective, Gumshoe was it? I saw him going through sis and my house while it was in disarray. And I remember seeing an ash-viewing ceremony and my mother being comforted by sis.

…

I've been wondering something for a while now, Mr. Wright. Why did you take sis's case? Even I knew I got stabbed when the only person in front of me before I died was her. It's practically a closed case.

…

You lawyers are really something else, heh. Perhaps truth in court does have its merits after all. *snicker*

*sigh*

I'll miss sis. Tell her she'd be glad to know she was the only woman for me until my death. Mr. Wright, I know you'll take care of sis for me, won't you? You and Edgeworth. She runs with her own pack and I'd say she made a good choice including you two.

…

Um, if I could ask you a favor though…please tell sis to clean up the sock drawer in my stead. I may have neglected that household chore when we were living together. She really hates it when I forget but I get away with it sometimes because she doesn't check as regularly as she should. Ha ha ha ha ha!

…

Well, this is it for me. As long as you tell sis about that sock drawer, it should be okay.

…

Please don't call for me anymore. It's weird enough that I know I'm dead and yet not, but to be called into a body of a young girl? This is too much, even for me, ha ha ha ha!

Good bye, Mr. Wright.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

"nai nai": grandmother from father's side (Mandarin Chinese)

"Fai": means "first" in some dialect in Chinese (sorry! I only looked it up in :( )

Pardon any OOCness of Lang here. He is admittedly difficult to write. He's like Phoenix but not, haha. (not to mention, I've never written for Phoenix before yet :()


	4. Lang Residence

**Epilogue**

Franziska opened the sock drawer and found not a thing of its original contents were out of place. What greeted her though was a conspicuous small black envelope with a garish gold dragon on it. It had the faint musk of the man who wrote it. She did her best to hold back tears when she inspected the envelope's contents and saw the familiar writing.

"_Practically perfect in every way. Just how you like it, sis. Just how you are, Franziska. Now you can't say I didn't ever rearrange the sock drawer, ha ha!"_

She thought of the sock drawer and the many memories she had with him whenever she found out he didn't arrange their contents properly. It was comforting and it was sad. She let a tear escape her.

"_Don't beat yourself up, okay? Lang Zi says: 'Even the strongest and most prepared alpha cannot hope to win any battle against the fickle elements of nature.' There was nothing we could do, in all honesty. I was expecting my demise any day now. But promise me this: don't ever blame yourself about the worst that could happen, for my sake and yours."_

She let a couple more tears fall. That infuriating, handsome, adorable, arrogant, wolfish, wonderful ex-agent was still pulling her heartstrings from beyond the grave! What a mysterious madness this thing called "love" is.

"_Shi-Long Lang says: 'I was lucky I made it just in time to meet you.'_

_You did good, sis. You have my word about that. You will do just as well, even greater maybe, though I may be gone by the time you read this."_

Why does he always know exactly what to say to me? She was thinking this by herself but it seemed to stick more when she read it off of his note, imagining it in his voice. How long had he known? How long was he prepared for it?

"_Don't wait for your time to end, okay? My time may be up but yours isn't._

_Thanks for showing me a hidden truth I had about me. I hope I did the same._

_I'll miss you._

_- Shi-Long Lang"_

On the back of the note was a picture. It was one of the few candid moments caught by Kay's camera that Franziska didn't literally burn up and throw out. More like she couldn't because Kay had the picture for the longest time and Lang revealed it to her only months ago.

"We were almost going to get married, you know?"

Franziska stared intently at the picture of Shi-Long Lang and herself. In it, her back was to the camera but her head was turned around. At that moment, Lang greeted her cheek with a playful kiss and then Kay snapped her camera. She silently memorized his face and the ticklish memory of that day. Her heart swelled and it flowed out to her throat and her eyes.

"I-I.." *sigh* "This is very difficult…"

Her voice choked and a tear rolled down her cheek. Her companion approached her and offered his handkerchief.

"Here. You don't need to say anything if you can't. I understand. I've been there."

She took it and wiped her eyes. She gathered all her strength to look up at her companion. She tried to push back her tears before facing the man she went to his house with. She wouldn't let anyone else see her cry like this. No one else saw her cry before, except Lang and Miles.

"Let's get you cleaned up so we can finalize these papers, okay?"

She silently nodded her head and proceeded to use the bathroom to wash her face. Her companion looked around the bedroom once shared by Lang and Franziska. He spied a drawer left ajar and inspected it. He saw it contained a whip with black and gold trims. He noticed the shimmering effect in the leather braid because of some golden threads interwoven into it. The handle was well-taken care of and gleamed majestically despite its black color. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a draconic pattern printed onto the leather wrapping the handle and a wolf-head symbol on the end knot for a dramatic effect.

"It certainly is something beautiful. He knew I liked beautiful things."

"Well, it certainly is something. A present, I take it?"

Her companion gave her a small smile. She smiled at the happy memory it brought up.

"Phoenix Wright, I can't properly thank you enough for this."

She held herself and sat down on the bed. Phoenix looked a bit worried as she might break down again.

"It is difficult, I suppose? The first few days, and being there the moment it happened. I miss him already. I miss his warmth and his affection. I miss his presence. My heart-!"

She clutched her chest. Phoenix broke out in a cold sweat and prepared himself to catch her might she lose herself at any moment.

"Yes? What about your heart? Are you alright, Franziska?"

Her head hung low and she nodded slowly.

"It's alright. I'm fine, really. My heart just suddenly felt so cold. I'm not experiencing any sort of cardiac disease, mind you. It really feels all icy and restless inside. I feel … like a part of me is missing."

Phoenix smiled a little. He got up and handed her the beautiful whip. He then gathered up the papers for the transferral of ownership and properties and then prepared to leave the room. Franziska's gaze followed him.

"I'll go make some tea for you. We can finish this paperwork when you feel like it. In the meantime, let me know if there's anything else I can do for you."

She attempted to smile gratuitously but she wasn't confident her message got across. Nonetheless, Phoenix left her to her thoughts. Tea was a good idea to start with. Something warm will help calm down her inner feelings of coldness and loneliness. It was the kind of sensation that made her want to accept any sort of human contact be it a pat on the head, a brush of the shoulder or even a touch of the hand. And the nearest possible source of that was Phoenix Wright, presently her lawyer. She fought back all thoughts of asking him such a foolish favor to hold her hand. She is a grown woman and she decided that she must accept the sorrow for what it is but not allow it to cloud her judgement in any way. Lang said so himself that she should be as she has always been: strong.

For now, she decided it was okay to let the sorrow wash over her. Awash with all the memories she had with Shi-Long Lang, she cradled the black whip and closed her eyes. She fell asleep with a couple of tears staining her face.

She'll get by, she knew. Just not yet. Not today at least.

Phoenix returned with her cup of tea and saw that his client had taken to slumber. He quietly looked through the nearest closet and found a black jacket with golden patterns and white fur lining the inside. From his research, he knew this was Lang's choice of jacket to wear. He picked it out and carefully covered Franziska's sleeping form with it. She pulled its sleeves around her. He smiled a sad smile and let Franziska dream of her precious memories.

* * *

Don't forget to R&R!

Thanks

.-lixue-dume-.


End file.
